Westminster Dog Show Welcomes Two New Breeds

Two weeks before the big day, the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show introduced two new breeds making their debut among the 187 that will be shown at the 137th event.

The AP was on hand for the unveiling, where event organizers showed off a treeing Walker coonhound, a beagle-looking hunter that "gets its name for the way it chases raccoons up trees," and the more-well-known Russell terriers.

The AP sets the scene at the New York hotel where the club introduced the new breeds:

"With no raccoons in sight, the coonhounds started to sniff out their competition. They looked over the Russell terriers, while also baying at each other and taking a few nips at their squeaky toy.

T"he Russell terrier is often referred to as a Jack Russell terrier, similar to the dog Eddie popularized on the television show 'Frasier' The taller Parson Russell — with a body more square than the Russell terrier — already is a part of Westminster."